Speed boat racing tank



Nbv. 1', 1932. R. J. PAYNE 4 1,886,220

SPEED BOAT RACING TANK Filed Jan. 19, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 -iPoymond J P032126 Nov. 1, 1932. R. J. PAYNE 1,886,220

SPEED BOAT RACING TANK Filed Jan. 19, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WI-TR Patented Nov. 1, 1932 nav aolvn J. PAYNE, or isaivri, MINNESOTA srnnn Boer RACING TANK Application filed January 19, 1931. Serial No. 509,623.

My invention relates to amusement devices and has for its object to provide a speed boat and racing tank for use at State fairs, amusement parks and the like for producing a thrilling and sensational attraction.

To the above end the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring tothe drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail view in section taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a detail view in section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the speed boat on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the speed boat, on an enlarged scale, looking at the same from the bottom thereof;

Fig. 6 is a view in section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4;, on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of one of the castors; i

Fig. 8 shows another form of castor;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view of a boat propelled by an outboard motor, some parts being shown in different positions by means of broken lines; and

Fig. 10 is a view in section taken on the line 101O of Fig. 9.

The numeral 11 indicates a racing tank for speed boats and, as shown, is formed in the earth and of suitable construction to hold a body of water Z. This tank 11 may be constructed in various different shapes with one or more sharp turns and, as shown, said tank clusive, is driven by a propeller1-5 from an 7 internal combustion. engine 16 in said boat. This boat 14 has a channel bottom 17 which is progressively. deeper from the. prow of the boat to the stern thereof and in cross-section is in the form of an inverted V, see-Fig. 6. Saidchannel bottom 17 extendsto. the sides of the boat 14 and forms at said sides longitudinally extended skids 18. At the center of the channel bottom 17 is a longitudinally extended keel acting skid 19. Mounted on the skids18 and 19 are castors 20 of the type shown in Fig. 7 but may be of the type shown in Fig. 8, as indicated by the numeral 21, or any other suitable type of castor may be used. It will benoted that the castors 20 on the intermediate skid 19 and rearward thereof are below the plane of the castors20 on the skids l8.

.In some instances it might be desirable to dispense with the castors andpermit the boat to travel on its skids 18 and 19 when on the aprons l3 and in which case the intermediate skid will be in a plane below the side skids.

. The boat 14' is steered by a rudder 22 through suitable steering mechanism including a steering wheel 23 in said boat back of the engine 16. A seat 2d for'the person run-' ning the boat is conveniently positioned in respect to the steering wheel 23. It is important to note that'the propeller 15 and its shaft are entirely within the channel bottom 17 and that the rudder 22 is above the bottom of the boat 14: so that said parts can not be damaged when the boat 14 runs out of the water and onto one of the aprons 123, as will presently appear. The hull of the boat 14 is provided with air chambers25 at the sides thereof which gives the same buoyancy.

The boat26,shown in Figs. 9 and 10, has a flat bottom on which are side and intermediate castors 27. The intermediate castors 27 are of a larger size than the side castors 27 and project below the'plane thereof. This boat 26 is driven by an outboard motor 28 hinged to the back of said motor for vertical swinging movement and provided with a Castor 29 so that when the boat 26 runs onto one of the aprons 13-the outboard-motor 28 will be lifted, as shown by broken lines in Fig. 9, so that the same can not be damaged by contact with the aprons. As soon as the boat 26 again enters the water the outboard motor 28 will drop by gravity and the action of its propeller in the water into normal position. By placing the castors at different elevations all thereof will run on the dished aprons 13, as shown in Fig. 6.

The boat when running at a high rate of speed in the tank will be unable to make the sharp turns 12 in the water, and hence, will run onto the aprons 13 and the momentum thereof will carry the boat well onto the upper portions of the aprons. As the boat, when leaving the water, is travelling in the arc of a circle its castors will roll on the aprons and swing said boat back into the tank partly by its own momentum and partly by gravity.

In some instances it might be desirable to remove the castors and allow the boat 14 to slide on its skids 18 and 19 or the boat 26 is on its flat bottom and in which case the aprons 13 will be greased so that the boat will freely slip thereover.

The inclined aprons 13 and the difierent elevations between the intermediate and outer castors will also tend to tilt the boat and direct the same from the aprons into the body of water Z.

It is evident that considerable skill and daring would be required to operate speed motor boats in the tank and direct the same around the sharp'curves.

What I claim is:

1. An endless channel-shaped tank, the outer wall of which is of a varying elevation and constituting an extension of the bottom of the tank.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the width of the bottom of the tank varies with the varying elevationof the outer wall.

' 3. An endless channel-shaped tank, the innerwall of which is at substantially a constant elevation and the outer wall of which is of a varying elevation and constituting an extension of the bottom of the tank.

t. An endless channel-shaped tank in the form of an eclipse, the outer wall of the tank, at the major axis thereof, is at a materially higher elevation than the inner wall of the tank and progressively decreases in elevation in opposite directions toward the minor axis f the tank, said outer wall constituting an extension of the bottom of the tank.

5. The structure defined in claim t in which the bottom of the tank has its greatest width at the major axis of the tank, and in which the width of the bottom of the tank progressively decreasestoward the minor axis of' the tank.

6. An endless channel-shaped tank in the form f an eclipse, the inner wallof the tank is atsubstantially a constant elevation,

. the outer wall of the tank, at the minor axis thereof, is at substantially the same elevation as the inner wall, the outer wall, at the maj or axis of the tank, is at an elevation materially higher than its elevation at the minor axis and progressively decreases in elevation in opposite directions toward the minor axls,

said outer wall constituting an extension of the bottom of the tank. a

7 The structure defined in claim 6 in which the bottom of the tank has its greatest width at the major axis of the tank, and in which the width of the bottom of the tank progressively decreases toward the minor axis of the tank.

testimonywhereof I aflix my signature.

RAYMOND J. PAYNE. 

